


Retail Blues

by OnDesertSky



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Anxiety, First Impressions, First Meetings, Fluffy, Gen, M/M, josh hates his job, josh really likes tylers hands, just a lil mention of it so far, like this will be ridiculously fluffy, they have an instant connection bc im romantic trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 04:24:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3964291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnDesertSky/pseuds/OnDesertSky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh works at Toys-R-Us. Tyler comes in one day looking to buy a toy for his female cousin.  Shenanigans ensue. </p><p>based on a tumblr prompt.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. //1

**Author's Note:**

> josh kind of meditates on gender roles in society for a bit in the beginning of this  
> idk if that bothers anyone or not??

The only entertainment Josh has had for the last hour of his shift has been seeing how many scuff marks his Chucks can leave behind on the already stained linoleum of aisle 13.

He’s not too worried about getting caught goofing off. No one goes to Toys-R-Us to buy fucking _puzzles_.

The swirling circle pattern he’s currently working on is interrupted by a burble of static from the decrepit radio hooked to his hip.

“ _Josh, we need you over on 7. Some of the moms are complaining about a twitchy looking guy again. You know how they get. Go over and flash one of your smiles at them or something._ ”

Huh. Aisle 7.

“Girl’s toys,” or whatever that means.

If that label didn’t exist, Josh thinks to himself, people most likely wouldn’t get so up in arms about stuff like this.

Josh lets out a hot rush of air. He doesn’t get why people always have to go around making assumptions. Or talking about things like his smile. He can’t help the way his face looks. His fingers travel to the waistband of his black skinny jeans, taking a moment to tuck inside the familiar fabric in a comforting motion.

“Here we go.” He sighs to no one in particular before heading to deal with the “twitchy looking guy.”

At least he has a job that allows him to keep his hair cut and dyed however he wants.


	2. //2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda mentions josh's anxiety a bit, nothing too intense though!

Josh feels the steady throb of his heartbeat stutter a bit in his chest as he approaches aisle 7. Thoughts begin to circle through his tired brain, burnt out from the flickering overhead lights and too many hours working the morning shift with screaming toddlers and their equally distressed mothers. (It's not that Josh doesn't like kids, he thinks absently. Just let him hang out with them on his own terms, maybe chill at the park or build some awesome pillow forts. Cleaning up vomit in the plushie aisle, though? Not really his thing.)

 

He feels his fingers itch to dig at his scalp in frustration. If he didn't need the money so badly, he would probably quit the first chance he got. 

 

Sure enough, when Josh walks into aisle 7, the scattering of middle-aged women picking out overly priced barbie dolls and plushie bears are sending furtive glances towards the opposite end. Josh sighs and heads over so see what the fuss is about. What is sees is definitely not what he is expecting. 

 

The most gorgeous guy Josh has ever seen is starting furtively at a display of My Little Pony toys, biting at cherry-red lips and touching sinfully thin fingers to a head full of silky brunette hair Josh thinks would feel pretty damn amazing to run his hands through. 

 

He needs to stop.

 

"Hey there. Can I help you with something?" Josh asks, cringing at the cheesy question. Damn his job requirements. 

 

The guy looks over at him, promptly flushing a pretty rose pink. Josh is gonna die. 

 

"O-oh, uh, well," The guy stutters out, startled at the question. "I'm looking for a gift for my cousin. I'm not really having much luck so far." He trails off at that, gesturing helplessly at the toy display in front of him, those sinful fucking hands twitching in the air. Josh wants to take them in his own, soothe them still. 

 

God, what is he even thinking? Be professional. 

 

"Okay," Josh says dumbly. He clears his throat, trying again. "How old is she? What kind of stuff is she into?" 

 

The guy (Josh really needs to figure out something else to call him in his head) bites his lip again, sending a flurry of images through Josh's mind. He looks down at the floor, appearing deep in thought. 

 

"Well, I took her to see the new Ninja Turtles movie and she really loved it, but they don't seem to have anything like that for her here?" He phrases it like a question, glancing up at Josh. His eyes are gorgeous. "Except this weird pink turtle? I don't remember that being in the movie though..." 

 

"Oh my god", Josh interrupts, cursing himself afterward. "It's so stupid! They made that toy for girls 'cause obviously they can't play with the other ones." 

 

His eyes light up at Josh's word vomit, a crooked-tooted smile appearing on his face. 

 

"I was thinking the same thing!" 

 

Josh laughs like an idiot. The guy chimes in. They end up locking eyes for a minute too long, and Josh clears his throat awkwardly once he realizes how long it's been. Pretty boy (Josh likes that) flushes again and glances away.

 

"Well, you could always get her the movie on DVD? Or maybe a toy from the boy section?" Josh offers. Pretty boy flashes another mega-watt smile and hops a bit on his feet. Josh notices his floral print shoes. He thinks they are the most adorable thing he's ever fucking seen. 

 

"T-thank you," The guy stutters, his tanned skin now a perma-pink, Josh thinks, cursing himself for vomiting his thoughts outloud. 

 

"Fuck, sorry," Josh mumbles. "For saying fuck! On the job, shit. And for probably embarrassing you, god." 

 

The guy giggles, reaching out a hand and brushing it along Josh's arm. He holds back the slight shiver threatening to race down his body at the contact. 

 

"You're funny," pretty boy says. "And cute." 

 

Josh is lost for words, making some awkward, abortive hand motion in reply. 

 

"Thank you for your help with everything, I literally have no idea what I'd have got her without talking to you about it." 

 

"No problem, I mean, it's my job." Josh replies, shuffling his feet. 

 

Pretty boy smiles again. Josh is fucking gone. 

 

"I have to get going," He says, looking almost sheepish. "Her party is in an hour." 

 

Josh chuckles. "Man, you pushed it till the last minute, huh?" 

 

He nods a bit. "Luckily I found you to help me." 

 

"See you later, Josh," He says, and Josh chokes on his tongue a little at the sound of his name falling off his lips. He remembers his name tag a second later, feeling stupid.

 

Hey!" Josh calls out, something sharp catching in his chest at the action. "W-what's, uh, what's your name?" 

 

"Tyler," he says, smiling again. "Tyler Joseph." 

 

Josh watches Tyler walk away with a pang in his chest that he doesn't want to analyze too closely, chewing the shit out of his fingers at the feeling. 

 

He really needs to get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you can prompt me at jishlertrash.tumblr.com or in the comments!


	3. //3

“Joshua Dun, fess up right now.” 

Debby’s sharp tone rang out through the small expanse of the break room, cutting through the fog Josh wasn’t even aware had clouded his thoughts. He jumped slightly in his fold-out chair, elbows smacking into the cheap table with the movement. 

“I dunno what you mean.” He grits out uselessly, blinking owlishly and picking up his now lukewarm can of coke. 

Debby just frowns at him. She snaps her gum pointedly, shaking a lock of tawny hair into her eyes before pulling it snugly behind an ear. 

“I’ve been trying to talk to you about the progress I made with Jenna at the party last night for the last ten minutes! I don’t even think you blinked, dude. What’s bugging you?” 

Josh shrugs his shoulders a bit. He vaguely remembers Debby inviting him out to some random co-worker’s party, but he really hadn’t felt up to going. There was an x-files marathon on, anyways. 

“Nothing, Debs, I swear,” he pushes out his hands in a placating manner, hoping she’ll buy it for now. He’s pretty sure oh, I can’t seem to stop thinking about a random customer that came in the other day, that’s all, is going to ease her worries about him. 

Jesus, how creepy could he be? He didn’t even know Tyler. One short conversation wasn’t nearly enough to develop a crush off of, yet there he was, waking up stuck to his fucking sheets like a kid again, thinking of shining eyes and chapped cherry lips. 

“Alright, Dun,” She huffs, scooting her chair away from the table. “My break’s over, so you’re saved for now. But don’t think I’m not gonna call you later to check up, okay?” 

Josh smiles a little in spite of himself. Debby is one of the most caring people he’s ever met. He’s suddenly pissed at himself for not listening to her talk about Jenna. She really does deserve someone. 

“Kay, Debs. You’ll have to tell me about the party, too.” 

She smiles, shooting a wink his way as she flounces out the door. Josh checks his cellphone timer, sighing. 15 minute breaks suck serious balls. He shrugs his uniform vest back over his shoulders, tosses his coke can into the trash, and heads back into the world of retail. 

Joy. 

His list of duties for the day include straightening a display of 1,000 piece puzzles some toddlers fucked up and mopping aisles 9 through 13. He decides to start with the puzzles, tugging on his now-faded blue hair in frustration. 

Not surprisingly, it doesn’t take much time to fix the mess. Only a few boxes are complete goners, a watercolor version of the statue of liberty, the ABC’s, and weirdly enough, one about spiders. He doesn’t think those will be missed much. 

He heads over to start mopping, trying to make a sick pattern of scuff marks with his chucks along the way. 

“Excuse me?” he hears someone say softly, a little bit to his left, along with a small laugh. “Is this what they’re paying you for?” 

Josh whirls around, wondering who could be addressing him like that. He nearly collapses on the floor. 

“Tyler!” He exclaims, immediately flushing at the eagerness and surprise in his tone. Literally throw him into a fucking garbage can.

“Hi, Josh,” Tyler answers, shuffling those floral shoes on the floor. His cheeks are little pink as well, Josh can’t help but notice. 

“What, uh,” Josh clears his throat awkwardly. “What brings you back today?” 

Oh, I. Um. I needed to find a gift for my sister this time,” Tyler grins, a little sheepish. “You helped me out so well last time, I just f-figured I’d come back.” 

Josh tries to fight the brilliant smile building in his chest. He fails. 

“Awesome,” Josh gushes. “I mean, you know, for, um. Business.” 

Tyler blushes. 

The two stand together awkwardly for a moment, neither one knowing exactly what to say. Finally Josh clears his throat against the silence, desperately wanting to hear Tyler speak again. 

Desperately not wanting to look too deeply into that emotion. 

“Well, Tyler, what could I, um, help you pick out today?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all of the positive feedback, it literally means the world


	4. //4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another lil conversation between the boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one took so long, and it's rather short.  
> the flooring in my house is getting replaced along w sheet-rock.  
> it's chaos. thanks for the feedback <3 <3 <3

Josh couldn’t believe how easy talking to Tyler was. He’d lost track of how long they had been standing in the electronics section of Toys R Us, talking away Josh’s time on the clock like it was nothing, nothing at all. In a way, Josh guessed that it maybe wasn’t that big of a deal, at least it wouldn’t seem that way to most people looking in. But to Josh...

Well. 

Tyler was the first person he had found himself getting lost with in forever. Sure, he talked to Debby, even considered her his best friend. He answers the phone when his mom calls him, worried and frantic over whether or not he’s eating enough, getting enough sleep (he’s not), but Tyler. 

Tyler. 

Tyler lights up the air around his form like no one else. Almost as if brilliant pulses of electricity spark at each word falling from his bright, chewed-to-death lips, gleaming with a smirk or smile at something he’d just spouted off. His thin, fucking gorgeous hands weaving in the air like magic, casting a spell over Josh with every twitch, every motion. 

They’d started off talking about movies, and which one Tyler should pick out for his sister. He reached out to pick up his copy. Josh couldn’t help but notice how his delicate fingers reached to the very back of the stack, ignoring the first copy completely. 

“I do that, too!” Josh exclaimed, blushing brightly with the words. He really couldn’t fucking help himself, could he?

“O-oh, you noticed that,” Tyler shifted on his feet, pinking a bit. 

Josh feels like a complete ass. 

“No, really! I never wanna grab the first copy. It feels...like...” 

“Tainted, somehow?” Tyler picks up where Josh left off, smiling fully now. 

Something blooms, white-hot and hopeful, inside Josh’s tight chest. 

“Exactly! Man, I always thought I was the only one that did that.” 

“Not anymore, huh?” Tyler grins brightly, tucking his copy safely underneath a skinny arm. 

Josh caught a flash of smooth black lines with the movement, and the two quickly took off into a conversation about their tattoos. The meaning behind them, why they decided to have the images permanently etched into their bodies. 

Josh shyly pulls up the sleeve of his work uniform, revealing the swirls of color surrounding his arm. Tyler’s eyes light up at the motion. Josh thinks he’s going to die. 

“Dude, that is one of the sickest tattoos I’ve ever seen, for real,” Tyler beams. “Did it hurt?”

“Not too bad,” Josh replies. “I mean, other things have hurt worse, you know?”

Tyler frowns, the light diminishing in his eyes momentarily. He nods, sagely.

“I, I guess I do, yeah.” 

He’s never felt so in tune with another person. 

He’s never felt so fucking terrified.


	5. //5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks so much for all the kudos/comments,  
> <3 you all!

A week later, Josh finds himself in his shared apartment with Debby, completely strung out on too much coffee, not enough sleep, and the ringing of Tyler’s bright giggle in his ear.

They’ve been talking on the phone every morning for the past few days after exchanging numbers at the store. Tyler had walked in for the millionth time, blushing underneath the guise of buying a gift for another “cousin” that Josh was beginning to suspect didn’t exist.

“So, what’s the occasion this time?” Josh asked, grinning slyly as Tyler shuffled his floral-clad feet.

“Oh, my cousin’s, uh, g-going away party!” He huffed out quickly, ducking his chin a little.

“Really?” Josh teased, starting to get the idea that something else was going on. Debby had been teasing him about the “stud muffin” coming in nearly daily to see him, but he hadn’t really thought twice about Tyler’s excuses until now. “You know, we could always just, maybe, text each other?” The last part came out sounding like a question, colored by Josh’s insecurity.

“Y-yeah?” Tyler stuttered, flushing fully underneath Josh’s nervous gaze.

“Totally,” Josh beamed, reaching out to take Tyler’s phone in his shaking fingers. He barely resisted the urge to add in a winky face emoji next to his name.

Now the two had been talking almost constantly, filling up the hours in between Josh’s shifts with conversation ranging from the best episodes of the x-files to which flavor of ice cream was best (butter pecan for josh. Tyler teased him for being an old man, preferring double chocolate).

“So, are you coming to my party tonight?” Tyler asks, voice rushed and a little breathless.

Josh smiles in spite of himself. He really can’t help it. The thought of going to a party with a bunch of people he doesn’t know makes his fingers itch to dig at his scalp, but he swallows down the anxiety, thinking of Tyler’s bright smile.

“Definitely,” Josh answers. “I mean, I can’t pass up the chance to see your reaction to Jurassic Park!”

“Hey, you don’t have to say it like that!” Tyler laughs. “It’s not my fault I’ve never seen it! My parents didn’t really believe in Hollywood.”

“Mine either,” Josh huffs. This boy is too much. “That’s what the internet is for!”

“Yeah, yeah. I was always so busy with my music, I guess it all just passed me by.”

Warmth fills Josh’s chest at the thought of Tyler tucked away somewhere quiet, picking at his piano and humming along. He can’t wait to hear Tyler play for him.

“You’re still showing me your new song tonight, right?” Josh asks hopefully, praying he doesn’t sound too eager.

“You betcha! Hey, you should bring Debby with you. A friend of mine just texted me that she’s coming, and I think they’d get along really well.”

“Tyler Joseph!” Josh laughs. “Are you trying to set up my best friend? You do realize she’ll kill me once she finds out?”

Tyler’s breathing speeds up a bit at Josh’s words.

“I hope that doesn’t happen,” Tyler says softly. “I’ll just have to make sure I keep you close by tonight, keep an eye on you.”

Josh thinks he might throw up from all the emotions boiling over in his chest.

“T-that would be a good idea, probably,” Josh agrees, swallowing loudly. “I really can’t wait to meet everyone.”

_See where you live, get a true taste of who you are_ , Josh doesn’t include that last bit, chewing on his lips to stem the word vomit.

“I can’t wait, either.” Tyler agrees.

Josh can almost feel the smile in his voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next up: the party!
> 
> if there's anything in particular you'd like to see in this verse,  
> feel free to leave it in the comments below! im always up for  
> suggestions from you guys!


End file.
